Technologies

Steam Engine

Heat Engine

Citation Formats

General Reference

Energy Atlas. "Steam Engine." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://energy.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/steam-engine.

APA Style

Energy Atlas. (n.d.). Steam Engine. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://energy.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/steam-engine

BibTeX

@misc{energyatlas-steam-engine,
  author = {Energy Atlas},
  title = {Steam Engine},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://energy.interactiveatlas.org/technologies/steam-engine},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The first machine to convert the heat of burning fuel into sustained mechanical work at scale. Thomas Newcomen built the first practical atmospheric engine in 1712 to pump water from mines, and James Watt added the separate condenser in the 1760s and 1770s, multiplying its efficiency and freeing steam power to drive the mills, mines and railways of the Industrial Revolution.

Facts

Technology Type

Heat engine 1

Invented Year

1712 1

1712 is the Newcomen engine at Dudley; Savery patented a steam pump in 1698, and Watt patented the separate condenser in 1769.

Cross-Tradition Connections